Amn-Alrhed sat up from a slight drowse and shook himself awake, "Fine questions, my friends. As to where we are going, that is easily answered. We are crossing the great Aligoni, arriving after about a four to six week journey in the great trading port Tamon-Jal. When we are leaving is tomorrow, at first light, if possible. However", the fat merchant's face grew slightly harder, "we will be having a few... guests along with us, and they might not be as punctual as I would like."

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."

Rhen said nothing, allowing himself to savor a sip of the wine. He was content to listen, but silently wished their dinner would end so he could retire for the night. As a wanderer, a month-long trek across the desert didn't worry Rhen, but then again, he'd enjoy a good night's rest in a warm bed.

Xanathur awoke from a daze. He must have nodded off, he glanced around to see if anyone had anything more to say. He cleared his throat before adressing the merchant. "Perhaps if all our business is concluded we may all return to our residence to rest for the coming journey." He smiled slightly at Alm-Alrhed.

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

With nothing more to discuss, Rhen followed the others out of the tent. The merchant retreated to his private chambers, Rhen assumed. The scout considered returning to the inn, but his coin pouch was light, and the furnishings of Alm-Alrhed's tents were that of a king, as far as Rhen was concerned. He reentered the tent and made himself comfortable in a corner, allowing sleep to overtake him.

Ss'kerswihpp walked away from the tent with an over-full stomach, and wobbled through the streets to his usual filthy yet familiar resting place: An alley behind The Drunken Tankard. He quickly fell asleep and had sweet dreams of adventure, treasure, and rich foods.

The morning dawned and the rosy third sun brightened the landscape for a time before it's brothers joined it in the sky. The crowds murmured about the old adage concerning the third sun as they flowed in their business around Amn-Alrhed's caravan. The merchant was surely as rich as he appeared, with a couple dozen wagons laden with fine goods brought around in a circle. Xanathur and Ss'kerswihpp walked onto the scene to find Rhen already conversing with the fat merchant. "...And we will most likely find the oasis before the second night. It will be up to you and your fellow guards to make sure that it is safe to camp. This is mostly the sort of thing that you will be doing on our trip."

He broke off as he saw the two, "Ah, I see you have arrived. We are waiting on just one more before we depart. I was telling your compatriot of the duties that will be required of you on this trip. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable while we await our last guest. I fear that it may be some time."

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."

Now, with time to waste he nodded to the merchant and went to lean on one of the adjacent wagons. Taking out his longbow he began to string it. He decided to make conversation while he prepared. "Well, I suppose this is our chance to learn a bit more about each other? What is your story fellows?"

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

"My tale is not long in the telling. I do not remember my parents, nor who cared for me as a child. I have wandered these deserts for so long, it is all I can remember. I travel, my sword for hire everywhere I go. It puts food in my mouth. It is not the most comfortable profession, but I enjoy the thrill of adventure. Enough about my sorrowful past, from whence do you come?"

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

"Surly there is more to you than that. Like you, I've had to fend for myself for most of my life, and in my journeys, very few wanderers I’ve met can speak as well as you can. Perhaps you have more noble beginnings than you let on…” Rhen replied with a grin.

"Heh heh. You are a clever one my friend. Like I have said, my tale is tragic in the telling and there is no reason to divulge a sorrowful story before the start of an adventure. I have traveled far and wide, with all kinds of folk. These wanderings have labeled me Xanathur of the Wastes and much has been revealed. Enough with speak of myself, I am quite curious as to how you accquired this thirst for adventure. Or perhaps a thirst for coin?"

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

A brute warrior who's... shy? Rhen thought. Given the opportunity, a fighter would make any excuse to boast of their adventures and conquests, to intimidate or gain the respect of those around him. This man has either nothing to boast about, or perhaps, Rhen mused, he has every confidence in himself to not have to. The scout hoped, for his sake, it was the latter.

"My story is not so bold. I come from a hearty village many days from here. My mother was a water farmer, along with my father, who was also part of the local militia. They taught me how to survive, each in their own way, before sacrificing everything they had to give me a future in the wider world. I am here to find that future, wherever it may be."

"Though if the half-elf never shows, my future will be that of an old man stuck in a backwater town!"

"Surely the elven sense of time is not so distorted as to make us wait forever. His human nature will pull through and he shall come. I wonder why the merchant desires such a large armament of guards? We also do not know if others are coming, we are just the ones he chose to speak to last night. If there are more of us, what could a wealthy merchant fear so much that he hires us on and forgoes some of his own profit."

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

"I wonder if each hand hired will receive one percent, or he will split one percent amongst us. I would think the former, lest he risk his guards turning on him once we reach our destination." Rhen took a seat on the wagon, and folded his legs beneath him. This was his favored resting position; it allowed him to relax while sitting, but have his feet under him to propel himself forward in a moment's notice.

"Not that I care. The journey across the desert is enough reward for me. Just don't mention that to the merchant!" Rhen settled in to wait.

As the ranger took his seat, there was a sudden flurry of activity coming into the area of the caravan. A highly ornate traveling wagon, of the kind that is built with walls and a roof and pulled by a pair of oxen nearly twice the size of any others in the caravan, came to a stop in the center of everything. Amn-Alrhed sighed heavily and threw his hands up before opening the door to the wagon and smiling sickly-sweet at the interior. "Ah, you have arrived! I hope you were not delayed?" The answer is not audible, as the fat merchant enters and closes the door behind him.

The strange wagon's entourage begins to unload goods from a series of pack animals and reload them onto Amn-Alrhed's carts and wagons. Rhen and Xanathur, watching the work idly, noticed one especially large bundle of goods being carried by a figure no bigger than a child. As they watched, the figure dropped the bundle into a wagon and revealed himself to be a member of the halfling race, clothed in ox-hide and with a large axe strapped across his back.

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."

Rhen took a moment to survey the arriving group. He tried to gauge how many of them were warriors, and how many were porters. He hopped off his perch and approached the enclosed wagon. "Amn-Alrhed must not be in a hurry." He turned to the halfling while continuing his meandering toward the coach."Will you be joining the merchant across the desert? We could use the help, seeing as the other half of our group didn't think to show up!"

The ranger moved to the huge oxen haressed to the wagon, admiring the sheer strength of the beasts of burden. Such animals were rare in the desert, because their large mass demanded huge amounts of water, and from the ranger had seen, these creatures weren't the most efficient at conserving energy. Stepping closer to the wagon, Rhen kept his eyes on one beast, stroking it's broad back, but also straining to hear any sounds from the coach. The scout was more than a little curious as to why their departure was delayed.

"If I may interupt? I am Xanathur of the wastes. Pleased to make your acquantaince small one, you carry quite a burden for your size. I certainly will be glad to have such a mighty fellow by my side in the desert. Tis a pity that this wasteland cannot be defeated by strength alone. I don't remember seeing many small folk like you around, you must be new. Now, what might your name be if I may be so bold as to inquire."

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.

Ss'kerswihpp awoke from a light nap, just in time to see Xanathur and Rhen pestering a halfling. He groggily stood up from his resting place on the ground and made his way over to them.

"Halfling friend, do not let these big folk bother you, no, no. It is good to see you, nice and small, it is an advantage out here to be small. Require less water and less shade. Now, what is your name? I am Ss'kerswihpp, yes, yes?"

Rhen strained his ears pushing aside the sounds of work around him, and pieced out bits of conversation from the other side of the wagon's wall. He hear Amn-Alrhed's voice first, "You do not know what that would mean! We would be taken weeks out of our way, and we do not have enough water!" Then came another, lighter voice. A woman's voice, as far as Rhen could tell. "I do not care what you do or do not have. We will be going to the Oasis, and you will be escorting us there. If you need additional time to gather supplies for yourself, we will wait. For a little while, at any rate. Now leave us."

Rhen busied himself with the oxen as the fat merchant exited the wagon and looked around nervously, wiping his sweating face.

The newly arrived group, almost all outfitted in hot metal gear and carrying weapons of various types, rode away from the caravan. They seemed in a hurry to get away.

Logged

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, or the temples of his gods."

"Well small one, that is greeting enough for me. To know the name of a man you fight beside is vital knowledge. Now where has that merchant gone off to? We really must be getting along before the suns rise high in the sky, lest we wish to burn."

Logged

Those who walk the shadows, tread a very narrow path between darkness and light. This path will reveal all.